The history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict traces back to the late 19th century when Zionists sought to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in Ottoman-controlled Palestine, a region roughly corresponding to the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, issued by the British government, endorsed the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which led to an influx of Jewish immigrants to the region. Following World War II and the Holocaust, international pressure mounted for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, leading to the creation of Israel in 1948. The establishment of Israel, and the war that followed and preceded it, led to a major demographic change in the form of displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparking a decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people. In the 1967 war, Israel expanded its borders to include, among others, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories that in 1948 absorbed a large part of the displaced Palestinian population. The Palestinians seek to establish their own independent state in at least one part of historic Palestine. Israel cites defense of its own borders and Palestinian internal political violence as reasons why a Palestinian state is not feasible. A majority of United Nations member states recognise Palestine as an independent state, but this does not currently reflect the situation on the ground; Israel maintains effective control over the West Bank, while the Gaza Strip, despite not being under direct Israeli control since 2005, has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt. Numerous peace negotiations have taken place over the years, but a long-term settlement has not been reached. The conflict has been marked by violence, including Palestinian political violence and Israeli military operations. The United States and other countries have played a role in attempting to broker peace, although Israel views the United States as its strategic ally rather than a neutral third party. Numerous obstacles remain, including the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the status of Jerusalem, and the ultimate fate of Palestinian refugees.